Hell Inn: Rebirth - I Became a Chef in Hell

Chapter 73 The Radio Demon's Dramatic Modification: Catching the Headmaster Who Was Caught in E

"...It was me who told her not to hit it—Shirley, Sweetheart, you also need your own personal space."

Vicky, whose hair also looked rather messy, peeked out from behind the sofa to explain.

"■■■'s personal space?... Hahahaha! I think her personal space is more for the other demons in hell to enjoy!"

After being told that, you suddenly seem miserable: "...?"

Just as you're about to say "it's okay," Angel's voice, which sounds like it's gloating, suddenly interrupts your train of thought.

You stared wide-eyed at the fact that there were actually so many people in the lobby at this hour, your expression showing surprise.

Seeing your expression change, Alastor next to you immediately lowered his eyelids and gave you an annoying look that said, "See? I already told you."

"Oh, by the way, you should really look at the royal princess's expression as evening approached—oh hahaha, I think she was just short of going out and putting up missing person posters! Your face would be next to those lost puppies and kittens then!"

Even when he was half asleep, Angel could still tell a cheesy joke, and he lay down next to Vicky in a very flamboyant pose.

When he saw you staring at him, he even blew you a kiss in return.

"Welcome back to your cozy and sweet dog shit cell, darling! Lookout time is over!"

You, holding Shirley and unable to get a word in edgewise: "..."

You feel that you may not be far from silently perishing.

"What? A... a prison cell? This isn't a prison cell! This is..."

After hearing Angel's speech, the little princess of hell, who clearly disagreed with him, stood up very seriously from your arms and then held up a finger, intending to argue her point.

"Ah, right, the place of salvation that helps sinners go to heaven, right?"

"But I think it would be nice if you wanted to turn this place into a sex dungeon... uh, or an SM training center?"

Angel, who seemed to be serious, propped up his soft face with a meaningful expression.

"That red-clad freak facility manager over there looks like he's really good at sadism!"

As he spoke, the Spider Sinner pointed to Alastor, who was standing to one side.

Poor broadcasting devil, he seems to have gotten used to being harassed by Angel with such sexually suggestive remarks.

"...Oh, about this matter, please allow me to say I'm sorry—aside from sadism, every word in your statement is utterly ridiculous."

Alastor, who had managed to reply to Angel without frowning, shrugged.

As the broadcaster spoke of the act of sadism, the antlers on the demon's head grew wildly upwards, and its eyes shone brightly with red light.

Wendigo, exuding a dangerous aura, clenched his sharp claws with a hint of interest. He seemed to find pleasure and excitement in simply mentioning the word "sadism."

"Oh...wow, look at him! This eccentric gentleman is truly consistent inside and out, he's a natural!"

After seeing Alastor's reaction, Angel, with a look of "I knew it" on his face, enthusiastically gave you an "S" sign.

……

You, expressionless: "...?"

Are you kidding me? You're the only one in the whole hotel who doesn't care whether Alastor is an S or M!

Knowing whether he's a sadist or an masochist will absolutely not do you any good! Besides, Alastor is the kind of person you can tell is a sadist without even looking at him!

As you carry things in your hands, you feel as if some part of your body is starting to age.

……

Hmm, it looks like the brain, that's amazing.

"Hi! Beautiful chef, good night!"

Just as you were frowning and silent with an unpleasant expression, Pantheon, wearing a starkly contrasting nightgown, suddenly slid his tall, thin body in front of you.

You widen your eyes slightly as you look at Pantheon, who is also awake. He is staring at you with his hands clasped together, his expression bright and alert.

Actually, Pantheon always seemed a little nervous whenever he was in front of you.

I don’t know if it’s because you once threatened him, but Panxius, who is usually loud and arrogant, not only listens to you, but also always tries to do things for you.

However, there aren't many demons in the inn who can truly help you. You still vividly remember the scene of Pantheon running away in terror after being splattered with oil... Sigh.

However, if he really did that to you because he was scared of you, you would feel very guilty.

You stared at Panxius with a subtle expression that was calm yet tinged with concern.

While speaking to you, the serpentine sinner even took off his cute little nightcap from his head and bowed to you, looking just like a true gentleman.

...Hmm, could it be that all the decent gentlemen from the Arrogance Ring have come to Shirley's Inn?

Good night, Pantheon.

To avoid the demons thinking you were not focused, you silently pulled your wandering thoughts back, and then solemnly returned the greeting to Pantheon.

As for why you're being so solemn... ever since that one time you didn't reply to Pensius, and Pensius cried so hard that Shirley found out, you've made "responding to every word of Sir Pensius" one of your top priorities.

Do you remember the look on Shirley's face when she told you, "Sir Pantheon thinks you're ignoring him with a cold face, is it because you hate him?"

……

I'm so sorry for always having a sour face subconsciously...

While you were repenting and thinking about these things in your mind, you suddenly noticed that not only had Pantheon's egg soldiers returned, but they were even wearing the same pajamas as Pantheon.

Ah, but speaking of which, did Alastor not get rid of these little things before?

While dealing with Pantheon, you unexpectedly found a moment to glance at the broadcast demon, who seemed to have entered standby mode.

“Oh! How can a gentleman let a beautiful young lady carry so many things? Let the great Sir Pantheon do it…!”

"Uh!...Uh...Wait! Take this, just take this."

Sir Pantheon, clearly determined to interact with you, volunteered to help you with your things. Your expression suddenly became somewhat subtle, and you immediately interrupted him.

Before he asked his question, you slipped the high-end-looking bag into Pantheon's arms, lest your refusal be too decisive and he look at you with teary eyes again.

To be honest, you were worried that Pantheon couldn't lift the black bag on your tail, so you simply smiled and did your job while using magic to send those not-so-presentable "ingredients" directly into the kitchen.

"Oh, it seems you have a surprise for me, Miss Chef?"

Alastor, who could tell what you were putting in just by smell, stood aside, emitting canned laughter from his microphone cane as if he didn't want the drama to get out of hand.

...At times like this, you really want to punch him.

Before the curious kids could even ask what you'd sent into the kitchen, you abruptly interrupted their train of thought, hooking your tail around Pantheon and holding Shirley in your arms, giving the broadcast demon, whose smile remained virtually unchanged, a blank stare.

However, there seem to be more demons waiting for you in the hall than you imagined; Alastor wasn't lying about that.

“...Oh? So you weren’t asleep either, Hesk.”

As you walked around the sofa and saw the bartender, who always left work on time, appear on the carpet, you were genuinely surprised and casually asked him this question.

My dear Lucifer, you've really got quite the face... Right now, waiting for you in the lobby is practically every single demon in the entire inn!

While you were staring at him in disbelief, Hesk, whose expression had been even more sour than yours, was now looking at little Neilette with a deadpan gaze.

"Hmph, yeah, it's so noisy downstairs, even someone without ears would wake up by now, little girl."

Hesker, whose tone was clearly one of complaint, rolled his eyes.

The bartender, Big Cat, was still wearing his work clothes, so you can guess that people like Alastor, Hesk, and Nifferty probably didn't sleep at all.

Meanwhile, Shirley, Vicky, and Pantheon, all dressed in their pajamas and sleeping on time, are probably waiting for you while they're asleep... But did Angel actually sleep on time today too?

...Never mind, you're starting to feel that guilty feeling again.

Thinking this, you pinched your brow with your hand, feeling a headache coming on.

The Great Cat Sinner's voice was already low, but now it was filled with suppressed anger... To be honest, you think that in this state, apart from Alastor, anyone who takes the initiative to chat with Hesker would be asking for trouble.

"So, in this shitty loop of arrogance, what kind of stupid day did you have?"

But to your surprise, Hesk, who is practically punctuating his words with profanity, suddenly asks you how your day went.

Your brain momentarily freezes: "..."

Angel yawned as he turned on the lights in the hall.

The tall, oriental sinner stood motionless, her bright, golden eyes slightly narrowed under the intense light.

She glanced at Pantheon and Shirley, who were looking at you with curiosity as you brought in the pink bag, before looking at Hesk, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, clutching his ankle with his paws... But do cats have ankles?

When your mind isn't quite clear, you suddenly have a wild idea.

Just then, Alastor, who always acts without warning, appeared as a nimble shadow next to Hesk and Neil, who was being held by Hesk.

The broadcasting demon gracefully settled into the armchair, crossing his legs.

Upon seeing a sinner sit down next to it, the big cat, whose expression quickly turned to disgust, immediately moved aside without making a sound.

...The strained master-servant relationship is immediately apparent.

Alastor doesn't seem very interested in where you went today, since he went out too.

It seems that the late-night radio demon doesn't really care. He will only squint his eyes and look at you with his "ambiguous" and unsettling gaze when you look at him.

"..."

"I went to see my pen pal..."

Because Hesk always acts like a knowledgeable elder in your presence, and you have some respect for him, you first ignore the very noticeable Alastor, and then, like a child who has come home late, you honestly answer his previous questions.

"Oh~ a pen pal!? Is he a bad boy?"

Little Nefertie, who seemed to understand half of what you said, excitedly climbed out of Hesker's arms and then quickly climbed onto your head.

"...Ugh, so it's a wild and exciting date between young people? Damn, I shouldn't have asked."

After hearing your answer, the Big Cat Sinner raised one eyebrow. You could see that his expression was complicated, like a mix of disdain and... well, you couldn't quite put your finger on it.

Could that be some kind of concern?

You, who are not yet familiar enough to understand the meaning behind the big cat's expressions, are thinking this rather far-fetchedly.

"Oh! That's something I didn't expect, hahaha!"

Alastor, who suddenly interrupted, broke his own neck after letting out three clear laughs, and then squinted at you with an extremely exaggerated tilt of his head.

...? What didn't you think of?

Confused by Alastor's nonsensical remarks, you lifted your eyelids and glanced at Alastor again.

Is this guy subtly implying that you don't know how to meet people of the opposite sex?

Although the chances of you meeting someone of the opposite sex are indeed slim, the corner of your mouth still twitched slightly because you were angry.

The scarlet gentleman, whose body language is particularly expressive, probably has no idea what you're thinking. He just sits there, interlacing his fingers, with an interested expression.

Although what he said earlier didn't seem to have any problems, you just inexplicably feel that Alastor is now like the kind of headmaster who catches kids dating too early.

He's the kind of jerk who tells you with a smile that it's okay for young people to have early relationships, but then immediately and without hesitation reports it as if he's just watching for fun.

...What a vivid image, the broadcasting demon.

"You guessed wrong, she's a good girl."

Instead of responding to Alastor's remarks, you replied to Hesker, not wanting the big cat in the inn to misunderstand this innocent meeting.

"And even if we take a step back..." you wouldn't have an online romance with someone else.

You were originally planning to add that sentence.

To be honest, you didn't intend to fall in love in hell—everything is unfortunate in hell, and falling in love would only make your miserable hellish life worse.

"...Boring! Boring!"

Neil, who suddenly interrupted you, bounced around on your head like a spoiled child.

To avoid the other person messing up your already difficult-to-manage hair, you quietly scoop the kitten-like female demon off your head and hug her in your arms.

"...Hmph, very good, at least now we know that the inn's chef won't bring in any more of that rubbish from the Pride Ring."

Hesk, who had somehow pulled out a bottle of wine and started drinking, muttered something in a very low voice, as if he understood what you meant.

"But girl, remember this: in this wretched place called Hell, the only way to protect yourself is to never be tempted! Otherwise, you'll regret it."

He said it in a warning tone.

……

Precise and accurate!

"I……"

You wanted to tell Hesker that his summary was absolutely right, but you were interrupted by Alastor the next second.

……

Tsk, Nifty's habit of interrupting others must have come from that arrogant and self-centered guy, the Broadcast Demon! Correcting Nifty's behavior and saving the children's learning environment is absolutely urgent...

Interrupted from speaking, the Eastern Sinner, with a pursed mouth, bared his sharp canines, his expression looking somewhat disgusted.

"Oh!... Haha... Since you can say something like that, then our bartender must have suffered many heartbreaks, right?"

As Hesk launches into a philosophical discourse in front of you, the radio demon, with his signature sinister smile and a mocking grin, moves his head toward the big cat sinner in a bizarre, almost horizontal, manner.

"It's a real shame that I've never heard you mention this before."

The male demon, who never missed a single tragic joke, narrowed his eyes.

A dangerous, chaotic hissing sound emerged from between his sharp teeth.

The radio demon's mood swings are often accompanied by different old-fashioned radio noises, but until now you still haven't figured out the emotion corresponding to each of Alastor's static sounds—

However, at least for now, this sound definitely doesn't represent a good thing.